Between Us Tea Room, Friendswood, TX

It is with a very heavy heart that I would like to share our story with you. The loss may well be just a dream to some, but to us, it and to all those affected, it was always a way for us to try to give back.

To begin with, our story began years ago. A family of seven children, who all eventually ended up in foster care and then ultimately an orphanage. Through the years, from time to time, we connected with one another, but most have moved on. The purpose of my story is to share how two sisters reunited and refused to further allow what happened to us in the past to dictate our future.

A while back, while reflecting on our lives, and our future, where we thought we would want to be one day. The only sure thing was that we would no longer live in different states, and continue to build this very special relationship, even if it was only over a daily morning cup of tea. Lots of tears, lots of tea and oh my gosh……the laughter . It was during these times, we decided, let’s open a Tea Room! Ok…….opening a restaurant, we have learned is not for the “faint of heart”. Our business which expanded to a full restaurant and wine lounge will only be three years old this August. We are very proud of our business today….all the ups and downs…working crazy 18 hour days just to try to learn and make this work. Neither of us ever had any experience in the food industry. Fast forward, a year and a half in we are hit with a world pandemic….90,000+ restaurants have shuttered, but somehow, by barely a thread, we have hung on. Need I mention, additional closings due to covid infected employees, a record breaking freeze in Texas requiring further shutdowns? I should mention, I doubt there could be a better landlord than the one we have today. His grace has been unparalleled. However, covid has driven us in the hole and we have fallen behind on our rent and other expenses. We are now in our 11th hour and unless we make some substantial payments, we too will be closing our doors.

I am not asking for any handouts, but I feel very passionate about this and still refuse to give up. We are believers, and I know this business was not just meant to build-up and fall. Our business continues to grow. We’ve taken loans out and have always repaid everyone with interest, but we are still in a hole recovering. We hire people from all walks of life…..college students, people in need and/or challenged. We love and embrace everyone of them. If this goes away, so do they. This is how God has allowed us to give back. Now, this is where I came up with this part, a “GoFundMe Forward” account. We don’t want loans from anyone any longer, we would prefer to match any gifted funds to help our business to recover from this pandemic by donating to local charities, once we have become stable again. We feel passionate this is our purpose in the path we have chosen. Our reward is giving back, but we need help. I'm wondering if this is all part of God’s plan all along and that it just took us this long to see it.

Warm Regards,

Karen and Renita